SEVERE FIGHTING ROUND NEUVE CHAPELLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 65, 17 March 1915, Page 5

SEVERE FIGHTING ROUND NEUVE CHAPELLE.

GERMANS LOSE 17,000 IN THREE DAYS.

BRITISH TAKE HALF A MILE OF TRENCHES.

WELLINGTON, this day. The Prime Minister has received the following from the High Commissioner, dated London. March 16. 5.30 p.m.: — Paris reports that the Belgians have consolidated their succsses obtained in recent days. In the Champagne district we have made new progress north-cast oi Souain. At Bois lc Petrc we retook trenches captUTcd by the enemy yesterday morning by-mine explosion. French reports state that since the 11th of March operations in the neighbourhood of Neuve Chapelle have been continued. The line captured by us on the 10th and 11th east of the'village has been consolidated and held, despite the repeated efforts of the enemy to retake it. During the night of the 11th and early in the morning of the 12th several counter-attacks were made by the enemy cast of Neuve Chapelle, but all were repulsed, and sixty prisoners were captured by the Allies. On the same night a skilfully executed enterprise east of Armentiercs resulted in our capture of the village of Lepinette, with small loss. Possession of this village advances our line in this quarter by three hundred yards on a front of eight hundred yards. Fighting in the Neuve Chapelle area w»b very severe on Friday. A strong counter-attack by the Germans in the afternoon was repulsed, and GI2 more prisoners taken. The Germans continued counter-attacks during the night of Friday and throughout Saturday, but did not succeed in recapturing any of the ground lost. " On the 14th fighting was mainly confined to artillery. The prisoners taken by us since the 10th number about 1,700, including 30 officers. Judging by the number of dead counted on the ground the total German losses in operations from th» 10th to the 13th on the Neuve Chapelle front amounts to 17,000 or 18,000. During the evening of the 14th the enemy rushed some trenches south of Saint Eloi after a very heavy bombardment and the explosion of a mine. The greater portion of the trenches were recaptured on Sunday. Fighting in this area continues. The Royal Flying Corps secured further successes during the last few days, although fog interfered materially with them at times. On Friday the railway junction at Don and Douai were bombed by allied airmen and were damaged. On Saturday a German train at Don station was blown up.